Chef LaLa

The Chef LaLa Homemade line of gourmet Latin specialty foods made with real ingredients can be found at select stores and online, keeping Latin home cooking authentic but with modern day convenience.

Chef LaLa is at the forefront of the healthy revolution of Latin home cooking. Her recipes are influenced by the Mexican culinary traditions she learned growing up in East Los Angeles, spending summers in Baja Mexico with her grandparents, and soaking up the sights and sounds of her corner abarrotes (markets) and the local panadería (bakery). Although she found her true passion in cooking, she didn’t always set out to become a chef.

After a car accident prematurely ended a promising career as a singer and dancer, Chef LaLa followed her passion and the lead of her parents, who were always involved in food service in some capacity, and began her culinary career. Chef LaLa initially ran a restaurant in West Los Angeles and then later a successful catering company called Savor Event Planning and Catering, which served many prominent politicians including President Ronald Reagan, President George Bush, Mexico’s President Vicente Fox, California Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante, Senator Ted Kennedy, Los Angeles Mayor Riordan, Congressman Xavier Becerra and Maria Shiver and the Schwarzenegger family; business leaders such as Southern California Edison, California Chamber of Commerce, Hispanic Public Relations Association, Para Los Niños and Coca-Cola; and celebrities including Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman, Carlos Santana, The Jonas Brothers, Catherine Bach, Babyface, Billy Bush, and George Lopez.

Coming from a family with a history of diabetes, Chef LaLa realized early in her career the importance of helping people make healthy food choices. In addition to training at the Cordon Bleu in both Paris and Los Angeles, Chef LaLa became a certified nutritionist, and remains focused on preparing delicious recipes that are also health-conscious. She now serves as a spokesperson for the American Diabetes Association and through her numerous cooking appearances and cookbooks, Chef LaLa is synonymous with a healthy approach to bold Latin flavors using fresh natural ingredients.

Chef LaLa has appeared as a guest chef on national television shows such as “The Today Show,” “The Dr. Oz Show,” and “The Martha Stewart Show,” and has amassed a substantial online following through her regular recipe and healthy eating posts on multiple social media feeds. Starting in January 2012, she will be the featured chef on episodes of the anticipated Univision show “Dale Con Ganas,” from the creator and executive producer of “The Biggest Loser.” The program is competition meets reality show, following four families of various Latino nationalities whose common denominator is that they are all overweight.

In 2010, Chef LaLa was invited to join The Culinary Institute of America’s Latin Cuisines Advisory Council – an international board of advisors chaired by chef Rick Bayless, whose members hail from the United States and five Latin American countries.

Recognizing Chef Lala as one of the leading chef personalities focused on Latin foods in America today, Good Stuff Marketing has partnered with her to create Chef LaLa Homemade products, a line of all-natural, easy-to-use sauces and marinades.